Top for vehicles and the like



C. R. ALLEN TOP PQJR VEHICLES AND THE LIKE Filed Aug. 31 1918 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 a #rroz/Yne.

C. R. ALLEN TOP FOR VEHICLES AND THE LIKE Oct. 16

Filed Aug. 31 1918 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 [Vl ENTZ Z/ far/es E- AW/cn m Mac/wens .Patented Oct. 16, 1923.

UNITED STATES 1,470,590 PATENT .FFICE.

CHARLES R. ALLEN, OF ASH'IABULA, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO ASHTABULA. BOW SOCKET COMPANY, OF ASHTABULA, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO. i

TOP FOR VEHICLES ANDII'HE LIKE.

Application filed August e1, 1918. Serial 1%. 252,144..

To all whom it m ay concern Be it known that I, CHAnraasR. ALLEN, a

citizen of the United States, and a resident of Ashtabula, county of Ashtabula, and State of ()hio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Tops for Vehicles and the like, of which the following is a independently supporting the forwardbows of the vehicle body has been done away with. One object of the invention is to providein a top of this type for the approximate conformation of the side lines of said top with the side lines of the vehicle body, which, as is well known, ordinarily converge towards the front. In thisrespect, the pres ent invention-constitutes in effect an improvement on the foldable vehicle top which forms the subject matter of my co-pending application filed March a 12,. 1918, Serial No. 222,025. A further object of the invention is to provide an improved arrangement of links or braces for sustaining the forwardly extending or outrigger bow.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, said invention, then, con-. sistsi of the means hereinafter fully de scribed and particularly pointedout 1n the claims, the annexed drawings and the following description setting forth in detail" certain mechanism embodying the invention, such disclosed means constituting, however; butone of the mechanical forms in which the be used; 1 i

In said annexed drawings :f y i Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a vehicle top embodying my present improvements, said top being shown inits open or extended condition on a motor vehicle body of conventional form; Fig. 2 is a plan view of i such improved'top,-or rather of one side of the same, the otherbeing merely; a duplicate with position of parts reversed; Fig. 3 iso side elevationiof the top in its folded condition; Fig. 4 is a plan view of the same in its folded condition; F i 5 is a plan view in principle of the invention may section of a detail taken on the plane indicated by the line 5-5,.Fig; 1; Fignfi is a plan view of another detail, as indicated by the line 6-6, Fig. 1;"Fig. 7 is a side elevation of a modified construction of top illustrating a different arrangement of bracing or linkage between the main bow and the forwardly extending or outrigger how, the top being shown in its open or extended condition; and Fig 8, is a side elevational viewof such modified top constructionwith the outrigger portion folded up against the main top.

As in most types of one man top, I utilize in the framework of the present improved top, a forward main bow l pivotally attachedto the body 2 of the vehicle adjacent the rear seat, where ,such vehicle is a twoseated one as illustrated in Fig. 1. Other familiar parts are therear main bow 3 which is preferably pivotally atttached to such forward main bownear the lower end of the latter, and a supplemental bow 4' which may be provided,if desired, between such two main bows, being shown for illustrative purposes in the figure named as pivotally attached to the. forward main bow l. i U

All. three of the bows just described will be of, approximately the same width, and

so adapted to fold up and drop clear of the body line, as shown in Fig. 4.

As previously indicated, the sides of the 2 body of most automobiles convergetowards the front or dash 5, so that the front seat,

as is well known, is adapted to accommodate only two persons, while three may beseated in the rear. If the forward portion of the top, accordingly, is to conform to the body. the several bows included in the forwardly extending frame structure which supports the corresponding portion of the top cover 6, will require to be narrower than those in the rear part ofthe top frame. Particular diflieulty arises in connectionwith the extreme forward or outrigger bow 7, since the arms, which support the same, when folded up, will lie across the rear cornersof the body, thus not only obstructing the rear seat, but preventing the complete collapsing of the top itself.

As in the. construction disclosed in my co-pending application above referred to, I overcome this difficulty by connecting the CAD case a somewhat different arrangement of supporting arms for the outrigger bow, and, by means of the particular arrangement of the axes of the pivots that connect the parts" together, am able to reduce the number of joints and so correspondingly simplify and strengthen the structure.

"Referring to Figs. 1 to 6 inclusive, the

general form ofthe' supports 8 for the out-,

rigger how will be seen to resemble that of my aforesaid co-pending application, in that said supports include in addition to the bow-sockets 9 proper, swinging arms 10, which pivotally connect such bow-sockets with the main-bow 1, and these bow-sockets have freely bending horizontal joints 11. However, the upward bending of the joints or elb'ows12 between the arms is limited by engagement between such arms and an intermediate bow 13 that is pivotally attached to the latter atapproximately its midpoint, so that in this construction a stop or rule joint is iq|nneoessary.

The horizontally bending joints 11 in the bow-sockets 9, onthe contrary, are look or rule joints, as shown in detail in Fig. 6, and permit a slight'lateral displacement for oscillation of each bow-socket relatively to outer end of theco-rrespondingly swinging arm 10. The ends of the outrigger bow 7 are adapted to seat in the ends of the sockets when the latter are positioned a proper distance apart; while in order to lock the bow in such seated position, as well as to flexibly connect the same with the sockets in the unseated position of the bow, articulated links 1 1 are provided. The operation of these links, both in holding the outrigger bow in its seated position, and when unseated and displaced laterally with respect'to the sockets, will be readily apparent from an inspection'of the figures, more especially Figs. 2 and 1.

In order to assist in the folding of the intermediate how 13, a link 15 is connected with the lower'end of the samenear its point of attachment to each swingingside arm 10, and the forward main how" 1 at a point above the point of attachment of such side arm thereto, a bracket 16 on the main bow providing the points of connection in both instances. The forward end of this link 15 is bentupwardly' at an angle approaching a-right angle, and has a slot 17 that slidably pivotally connects it with the intermediate how. The axis of the pivot, whereby the sidearm is connected to the main bow -as indicated by the line a-a.,

Fig. 5, is placed at such an angle that the side arm, while lying parallel with the main bow in its folded condition (see Fig. 4) is caused to incline inwardly from the plane in which the main bows -1 and 3 lie. Accordingly, by bending the forward ends of the links in the fashion just described, it will be observed that the latter drop beneath and cross over under the ends of the intermediate bow in the folded condition of the top, as shown in Figs. 3 and 1. V v

Referring to the horizontally swinging joint 11in the sockets 9, the pivot, it will be observed, is located as close to the outer side of the arm ends as possible. There is no particular strainupon the joint when it is straightened out, as it occupies this position only when the top is folded, but when the top is extended the bending strain on the joint is considerably greater. The arrangement of the pivot" provides a wider abutment 18 to resist this last mentioned strain than would be otherwise possible.

In the modified constructionillustrated in Figs. 7 and 8 I show the side arm 20 with a stop or lock joint 21' that serves to prevent upward bending of the arm when extended in the horizontal position illustrated in Fig. 1, just as in myco-pending application Serial No. 292,025. However, by turning the axis of the pivot which connects the rear end of this arm, with the main how, I am enabled to do away with any horizontally turning joint in the rear portion of the arm, just as in the construction illustrated in Figs; 1 to 6 inclusive. I furthermore show in Figs. 7 and 8 an intermediate how 22 that is wholly free from direct connection with the arm in question. Instead, said intermediate bow is supported by means of two links 23 and 2 1, the rearmost of which is pivotally connected at its one end with the main bow at a point above the'pivotal point of attachment of the arm therewith, while the forward link 24: extends from a point on the intermediate bow slightly spaced from its lower end, to a point on the bow-socket 9 between the stop joint 21and the horizontally bending joint 11 in saidbow-socket. The joint between the rearlink 23 and the intermediate bow 20 is likewise a stop or lock joint, which serves to hold the intermediate bow in the proper angular position with respect to the arm and outrigger bow, and if desired, although not essential, a stop 26 may also be utilized in connection with the oint between the forward link 24 and said intermediate bow, thus rendering the construction correspondingly more rigid.-

In this modified'construction, when the side arms 20 are broken downwardly in collapsing the top, the links 23 and 24 will ob viously serve to swing the intermediate bow from its extended position in a clockwise direction, and, by properly gaging the Hit) length of the links, said intermediate bow is brought back parallel with the main bow when the outrigger bow reaches a similar position as shown in Fig. 8.

Other modes of applying the principle of my invention may be employed instead of the one explained, change being made as regards the mechanism herein disclosed, provided the means stated byany of the follow! ing claims or the equivalent of such stated means be employed.

I therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as my invention 1. In a top for vehicles and the like, the combination of a main bow pivotally attached to the vehicle body; of arms pivotally attached to said main bow, said arms being adapted to lie alongside said main bow in folded condition of the top and to extend substantially horizontally when top is open; an outrigger bow, suitably attached to the free ends of said arms; a floating intermediate bow; and plural independent links connecting spaced points on each side of said intermediate bow with the corresponding sides of said main and outrigger bows, re-.

spectively.

2. In a top for vehicles and the like, the combination of a main bow pivotally'attached to the vehicle body; of arms'pivotally attached to said main bow, said arms being adapted to lie alongside said main bow in folded condition of the top and to extend substantially horizontally when top is open; an outrigger bow suitably attached to the free ends of said arms; a floating interme diate bow; links connecting the'inner ends of said intermediate bow with the sides of said main bow above the points of attachment of said arms to the latter; and other links independent of said first-named links extending from points on the sides of said intermediate bow spaced from the end thereof to the sides of said outrigger bow.

3. In a top for vehicles and the like, the combination of a main bow pivotally attached to the vehicle body; of arms pivotally attached to said main bow, said arms being adapted to lie alongside said main bow in folded condition of the top and to extend substantially horizontally when top is open; an outrigger bow suitably attached to the free ends of said arms; a floating intermediate bow; links connecting the inner ends of said intermediate bow with the sides of said main bow above the points of attachment of said arms to the latter; and other links independent of said first-named links" substantially horizontally when top is open;

an outrigger bow suitably attached to the free ends of said arms; a floating inter-= mediate bow; links connecting the inner ends of said intermediate bow with the sides of said main bow above the points of attachment of said arms to the latter; and other links independent of said first-named links extending from points on the sides of said intermediate bow spaced from the end thereof to the sides of said outrigger how, both sets of said links having stop-joint connection with said intermediate bow.

Signed by me,

- CHARLES R. ALLEN.

this 27 day of August, 1918, 

